Having a website that
inspires a potential customer to do business with you, versus one that causes
a potential customer to click-off instantly will make or break your business.
Take a moment and evaluate your current website now. Does it have what it takes to attract new business? Does your site inspire and intrigue visitors… or does it add
no value to the visitors?
The days of putting up a home-made looking, generic website are
gone. Not only does it not help you bring in new business,
it will in fact cause you to lose potential new customers.
By now, you are probably wondering: What makes a website
profitable vs. non-profitable?
What are the important elements that one should take
into consideration when designing and building a website? The short answer is:
Professional
Website Design + Easy Navigation= Profit
...but, there is a little more to it than that. Did you know that, generally speaking, you only have
less than 15 seconds to make a first impression when someone is visiting your
website? Make these 15 seconds count.
Design Aspects: If your website is poorly designed, you run the risk of potential customer leaving your site instantly and
never return. They will simply move on to one of your competitors website
that pleases them in a visual and engaging way.
Remember, your website IS the face of your company.
For many people, a visit to your
website will be the first point of contact with your business. If you want them
to bookmark your site and come back to your site (and your business for that matter), it has to
look professional and contain the proper conversion tools to generate interest.
Color schemes and fonts play an important role as well.
Colors should be pleasing and fonts must be easy to read.
Avoid using flashing or blinking images. Not only do many people find this
annoying, it can cause headaches and eye strain to some.
This is important: Keep the most relevant information above the fold! You'd be surprized how many web visitors are too "busy" to scroll down.
Navigation: Navigation of your website must be easy to use as
no one wants to spend time searching around for information on your website.
Always makes sure that your navigation list:
· Includes
all of the important aspects of your business
· Is
easy to find, and
· Is
easy to use
Contact Information: People no longer have the patience to sift through a site
just to find an email address, phone number, directions, prices, and other
crucial information.
Make it a "Direct Response" Website: How?
First thing first, what do you want your visitor to do when they land on your website? Do you want them to call you for your services? Should they fill out an email inquiry form? Direct them what to do next! You need a call to action on your website that is located in multiple highly visible sections and pages; especially the home page.
Most experts will tell you that your call to action (whatever it may be) should be “above the fold.” Above the fold means the top section of the screen before someone has to scroll down the page to continue reading. You want it to be as clear as day, which makes it easy for your audience to do business with you.
Email opt-ins are a must have for every business website. Most people today are very comfortable connecting with businesses via email, so having an email opt-in form will allow you to build a list of valuable prospects and customers.
Once you have your customers email addresses, you now have an instant communication channel to keep them in the loop with your business until they are ready to buy or die (meaning unsubscribe). You can send them emails with free, valuable information related to your industry as well as occasional promotional offers.
Remember an email opt-in list is not spam mail; these are potentially loyal customers who are willingly giving you permission to contact them about your business. Not having an email opt-in list on your website is like turning away customers who may want to do business with you. Just as no business should be without a website, no business website should be without an email opt-in form.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization):
SEO is crucial for businesses who want to generate traffic to their websites. With
millions and millions of websites in cyberspace that yours is competing with, the best way
to ensure that your target audience is finding your website is with the use of
SEO. SEO can generally be broken up into
on-site SEO and off-site SEO.
For More information on this topic, please request my FREE report
Adding a Blog:
Today, most of the business websites that you visit
will probably have a blog as well. Blogs have come a long way and today they
are considered a standard for a business website as well. A blog is one of the
best things that a business owner can do to help increase their off-site SEO as
well as to build credibility in their particular field. A blog also ensures that your webcontent will be kept fresh, one of the many things search engines look for when deciding where to rank yours.
Do not overlook the power of a blog. If you feel that
you cannot write well enough or simply do not have the time, consider
outsourcing the job to a professional content writer. You'll be surprised at
how powerful a well written blog can be when it comes to gaining more online
visibility.
Fast and Reliable Web Hosting:
What good is having a website that takes 5 minutes to
load? Furthermore, if your website is “down” more than it is “up,” you are
hurting your business more than helping it.
There are many different web hosts to choose from these
days, so do some comparison shopping when it comes to choosing the right web
host for your business. Some things to look for are reliability, 24/7 customer
support, speed of the servers, how many servers they have, how much space they
give you, and the overall reputation of the company.
A Mobile Version of Your Website
Hugely important for local businesses! Statics tell us that more people
will check for local businesses on their mobile devices than ever before, and this trend is growing every year. This means, your website has to work with all mobile devices if you don’t
want to miss out on the massive mobile audience. A couple of things to note here:
1) Stay away from Flash and an overabundance of large graphics when
designing your site. It is very important to note that any website designed
with Flash, will not work on any Apple products, such as IPhone and IPad.
2) The second,
and more logical option, is to have a mobile version of your site
designed. These are generally very similar to your static site but often
include fewer options. For example, if you are a retail shop the mobile
version may show current sales that are going on as well as the address
and phone number of your location. It may not show the entire catalog on
the mobile version but there is generally the option to view the full site
as well.
Social Connection: By now, you already know the importance of social
media, right? Social media has become one of the biggest forms of advertising
and marketing for businesses of all sizes.
Your website should be tied directly into your
social media profiles. This allows consumers to connect even further with your
business by clicking through to your social media pages from your website.
While your website is the “face” of your business online,
social media is the “voice” for your business. So it only makes sense to tie
them in together. Social media is free advertising and connects your business
with a broader audience in a very personal and intimate way.
Legalities: Be sure that your website conforms with the recent legal requirements, such as a privacy policy for instance. Different types of website have different requirements. Be sure you comply.
Professionally
Designed Websites are the Only Way to Go
Your business is important to you; your website should
be equally important. There has been a major shift in the way that consumers do
business. The process they use to find new products and services has
drastically changed.
By following these tips, you could very well be on your
way to finally having your website work for you – instead of you steadily
putting money into it with no return.
I work with local businesses in the area by helping
them turn their outdated websites into the customer-generating tools they were
meant to be.
If you are interested in learning more about how your
website could be improved to help bring in more leads, customers, and profits
for your business, contact me at (707) 853-0702 or email me at brickert@resultsmarketing.biz for a free phone consultation.
Looking forward to speaking with you.
Birgit Rickert
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